Data acquired
and reported of this type is done without any opinion or bias whatsoever (when
I can get the case open). For a quickie brush up course on audio terminology
and measurements, point your browser to the Audio
Reproduction Systems article.

Rated
R.M.S. Power Output

As I griped
earlier, a high distortion power rating is nearly useless when contemplating
higher end audio. Possibly a few teenagers, especially those with some hearing
to spare might enjoy massively distorted sound, but this reviewer cringes
at anything much over the 1% mark (which is plenty detectable). For
the purposes of all my audio reviews, I chose the generous 3% rating, which
was traditionally utilized for cassette deck/reel-to-reel testing until the
early 1990's. At 3%, the waveform when viewed on an oscilloscope starts to
visually "flat-top" or clip.

I surmised
after attempting to remove the woofer cover, that poking around inside for
insight into the main power capacitors and amplifier IC's was going to prove
impossible. It was. I found no reasonable method of disassembling the 5100's
boom box with causing permanent damage. As a result, no measurements could
be taken. At this time, I have no reason to doubt Altec's power claims, considering
the company's history on that particular subject.

It should
be noted that a non-audio grade non-toroidal power transformer was used as
the primary supply. This type of transformer is more suited to DC circuits
than AC amplifier circuits, but the cost and size are dramatically reduced.

Miscellaneous
Measurements

Of note is
the parallel woofer drivers. These are 8 Ohm nominal units that when put into
a non-series configuration, theoretically yield a nominal 4 Ohms. The bass
response could be heard fairly solidly down to 45Hz using a tone generator.
A sharp rolloff below 45Hz led to 30Hz and below being nonexistent.